DR Congo Rebel Surrenders to US Embassy in Kigali

Democratic Republic of Congo rebel Bosco Ntaganda, wanted by the International Criminal Court for a string of alleged atrocities, has surrendered to the US embassy in Kigali, US and Rwandan officials said Monday.

KIGALI: Democratic Republic of Congo rebel Bosco Ntaganda, wanted by the International Criminal Court for a string of alleged atrocities, has surrendered to the US embassy in Kigali, US and Rwandan officials said on Monday.

Ntaganda asked to be sent to the ICC, the world's permanent independent war crimes court, said US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland. "I can confirm that Bosco Ntaganda... walked into the US embassy in Kigali this morning. He specifically asked to be transferred to the ICC in The Hague," she told reporters in Washington.

Nuland's comments confirm an earlier statement by Rwandan foreign minister Louise Mushikiwabo that the rebel general had "presented himself" at the US embassy in Rwanda's capital.

Nuland said that Washington was in contact with the ICC and the Rwandan government, adding that the United States "strongly (supports) the ICC and their investigation on the atrocities committed in the DRC".

DR Congo government spokesman Lambert Mende said Sunday that Ntaganda had fled to neighbouring Rwanda, which has been accused by Kinshasa and the United Nations of masterminding, arming and even commanding M23 rebels in resource-rich east of the vast country.

Ntaganda, a former general nicknamed "The Terminator" and widely seen as the instigator of the M23 group's rebellion against Kinshasa last year, is wanted by the ICC on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity including rape, murder and recruiting child soldiers.

Neither Rwanda nor the United States are signatories to The Hague-based ICC's founding document, the Rome Statute, and therefore would not be obliged to hand Ntaganda over to the tribunal.

However, his presence in the embassy raises thorny diplomatic issues for both Washington and Kigali. Kinshasa earlier demanded that Kigali refuse to give asylum to the Rwandan-born Ntaganda.

"If this information is confirmed, the court will make the necessary arrangements for the transfer of Ntaganda to The Hague," he said, adding that "nothing prevents a state which is not a signatory of the Rome Statute from cooperating with the court on a voluntary basis."